Viola Solid Rock Assembly
Deliverance
All right, so done with the announcements, but I do wanna address a couple things. There was a couple things that were said at the revival that first of all, I wanna praise God because over 20 people received the baptism Holy Spirit for the very first time this weekend and praise God, right? The results speak for themselves, but there was also some things that were said and I just wanna clarify some things. First of all, if you did not receive the baptism Holy Spirit and you were seeking, it don't be discouraged or feel like you're less than. Everyone's walk is different and everyone's experience is different. And so I don't want you to be discouraged. And there was just a few statements that were made during the revival that though I see his heart, I see Mark's heart behind it, I don't tend to agree with a couple of them. One of the statements that he made was about demon possession and it really was splitting hairs, but what he said about the meaning of the Aramaic word and the way that it's translated in English, it was really splitting hairs, but I just feel like that it could have been explained a little bit different and a little bit better. And so people can be possessed by demons. There's no, that is clearly throughout scripture we see it. I feel like that he was also trying to, he was splitting hairs and trying to explain the difference between oppression and possession. And I don't feel like he did a very good job of that. And so there is a difference. Someone who is possessed by demon cannot be a follower of Jesus. If you're a Christian, you cannot be possessed by demon. But you can be oppressed by demon where demonic activity clings to you or follows you around, you can be oppressed, but not possessed. But the main thing about the whole thing is Jesus is the one that paid the debt. He paid the price for your soul, he paid the price for when he died on the cross, he paid the price for everyone's soul. But it's up to us whether or not we accept the price that has been paid. It's up to us, okay? And so I just wanted to be clarified that. I just, I don't want, I don't want it to be a confusion. I don't want us to get lost down that rabbit trail. I'm not gonna do that today. We're gonna move forward, but I just wanted to clarify that. There are some other things that we can clarify at a different time. If you had questions about anything that was said, come and talk to me, we'll talk it out. All right, but we're gonna move forward. We've been talking about the storm and after the storm and on the other side of the storm and how the impact is greater, how the impact is greater when we get to the other side of the storm, right? We see, we've talked about in Matthew where Jesus fed the 5,000, then he gets in the boat and he goes across the lake, they find themselves in the storm, he wasn't in the boat, he was walking on the water, he gets in the boat and the storm succeeds, it succeeds, it stops and they get to the other side and it says everyone who came to him that was sick or demonic possessed, all those things, he healed them, right? He delivered them, all of them. And so we've talked about that and we've talked about how the impact is greater, the faith is broader and in Mark chapter four, it talks about another storm that Jesus was a part of and in Mark chapter four, verse 35, it says as evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, let's cross to the other side of the lake, so they took Jesus and he got in the boat and they started out leaving the crowds behind, although other boats followed, but soon a fierce storm came up, highways were breaking into the boat and it began to fill with water. Meanwhile, Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. And the disciples woke him shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" And when Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence, be still," and suddenly the wind stopped and there was a great calm. And then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? "Do you still have no faith?" The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" They ask each other, "Even the wind and the waves obey him." So they get in the boat to go to the other side and Jesus is like, "All right, guys, y'all got this, "I'm going to take a nap." I told Chelsea last night or this morning, I said, "You know, I can sleep like Jesus." All this stuff going around due to snoozing. I am like that she gets so mad because the kids could be just running around and I still fall asleep in my chair. It's like whatever, it's just background noise. Doesn't bother me. But Jesus said, "I'm going to go take a nap. "See you on the other side." Meanwhile, topside, the storm blows up and it's threatening to capsize or sink the boat and they have to go wake him up. Don't you care if we drown, wake up. Jesus just seems a little perturbed to the fact. Have you noticed when you read this? When I read this scripture, I read him being a little bit aggravated that they woke him up. Why did you wake me up? And he walks up and he rebukes the wind in the waves and the water and the wind become calm. And he asks him in verse 40, he says, "Why are you afraid? "Do you still have no faith?" The boat was about to sink, man. I mean, we got faith but water, we are still bailing water out of the bottom of the boat, Jesus. We know that the wind and the waves have stopped. We were literally about to sink and you're asking us why we were afraid. Do you have no faith? Do you have no faith? Why are you afraid right now? In the middle of the storm and he's just taking a nap and they wake him up and he calms the storm and they're like, we weren't scared of the storm. We were scared that we were gonna sink, we were gonna drown. They didn't say nothing about the storm, they said, "We're gonna drown." We're still bailing water. But Jesus got them through, he calmed the storm and let them, they got through the storm, they got to the other side and Mark chapter five, it says, so they arrived on the other side of the lake in the region of Garrison. And then Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. The man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles, as he often was, he snapped the chains from his wrist and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night, he wondered among the burial caves and in the hills howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. And when Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him and bowed low before him with a shriek, he screamed, "Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, son of the most high God?" In the name of God, I beg you, don't torture me. For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit." And then Jesus demanded, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion," because there are many of us inside this man. Then the evil spirits begged him again and again, next, not to send him into some distant place. There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. Send us into those pigs, the spirit begged. Let us enter them, so Jesus gave them permission. And the evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drown in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and in the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus and they saw the man who had been possessed by a legion of demons and he was sitting there, fully clothed and perfectly sane. And they were all afraid. Then those who seen what had happened told the others that the demon possessed man in the pigs and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who was demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, no, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been. So the man started off to visit the 10 towns of the region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him and everyone was amazed at what he told them. This story is recorded in Mark and Luke and in Matthew, and Matthew it records that there were two men that were demon possessed, but either way, what happens in this story is somewhat bizarre. You know, when I think about some of the things that Jesus did and some of the miracles that were performed, they are pretty bizarre. I mean, we talked about one a couple of weeks ago where he was spitting on people. I mean, that's just, I don't know. You better know that you know that God told you to do that before you spit on me. I can tell you that right now. And so they, some of these things, they're just so, it's almost unbelievable, right? Some of the things that happened, we look at it and it's almost unbelievable. It's almost unbelievable that this man who was demon possessed, Jesus cast the demons out and it went into the pigs and they ran off the side of the mountain. But you know, the truest stories of my entire life have been some of the most weirdest unbelievable stories. Some of the things that have happened to me over in my life that just sound unbelievable are true, Marshall. They actually happened. It happened, crazy things. I've had some experiences. I've seen animals do weird things. I couldn't make stuff up. Some of the stuff that's happened, I couldn't make it up. I don't have that good of imagination. I remember one time I was hauling a load of cattle to the vet and I had two sick kids in the vehicle with me 'cause Chelsea was working at the time and they were sick and we were going down the highway and one of them threw up everywhere. And it was one of those moments, no one was behind me and I just kind of stopped and didn't really pull over, just kind of stopped to like, I don't know what I was gonna do. It was not like I could clean, had anything really to clean all that up. And I looked in my mirror and three cows jumped out of my trailer when I pulled over. The problem, I was concerned that the cows jumped out. The bigger problem was where I was at was nothing but rice fields and corn fields and I was thinking there ain't no way I'm ever catching these cows again. But right on the other side of the road was the one place on the entire highway that had fence. The only place they, some guy saw what happened. He pulled his truck across the highway. We ran him up into that lady's field. We're able to get him loaded again. I couldn't make this stuff up. Happened. I can't make up the fact that I was at a red light in Memphis when some guy came up and opened his jacket like you see on the movies and it's like named off all of his drugs trying to sell him to me. I'm like, bro, no, go away. There's things that's just crazy, right? It's unbelievable. And the pigs jumping off the cliff, that is such an unbelievable story. But how could you make that up? Nobody makes that story up. It happened. It's true. The one, you know, some of the most crazy sounding stories are actually truth. Stuff that really happens. People can't make that stuff up. Why make up something that good? I mean, you couldn't. This guy was hollering at the moon and cutting himself and wandering around in the hills and breaking chains and nobody could subdue him and then Jesus walks on the scene and he sees him and he runs to him and he says, please don't send us into the abyss. Send us into the pigs. No one could subdue him. He's stronger than 10 men. He snapped chains and shackles. This is the town crazy times 10. Verse six says, when Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him and ran to meet him and bowed down before him and with a streak he cried, why are you interfering with me? Jesus, son of the most high God. Why are you interfering with me? And he says, in the name of God, I beg you to don't torture me. For Jesus had already told him to come out. And then he replied, my name is Legion because you are so many of us inside of him. The demons inside the man recognize Jesus and he asks him in verse seven, why are you interfering with me? Jesus was about to interfere with this demons antics. He was tired of messing with him. He was about to deal with it. They immediately start begging him not to be tortured. Then they tell Jesus his name is Legion because there are so many of them. A Roman Legion was about 4,500 soldiers. So there could have been that many demons in this man. They were wreaking havoc in his life. He didn't have a life in him. This man, they were making him do crazy stuff. Making him do things that you wouldn't do on your own account. I mean, he's out there acting crazy. He can't, they can't clothe him. They can't keep him, he's living in the cemetery. He's hollin' at the moon. This guy is nuts, right? We would lock him up in a sinusala. But they were begging Jesus in verse 10 that evil spirits are begging him again and again, not to send them to some distant place. And there happened to be a large herd of pigs they were feeding on the hillside nearby and they said send us into those pigs. The spirits were begging him to send them into pigs. So Jesus gave them permission and the spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs. It was like lemurs, you know, one does it. They all do it. The pigs just started running and they ran right off the side of the cliff. What a bizarre turn of events. Don't send us into the abyss, but let us kill a bunch of pigs, right? I think what happened is in those demons entered those pigs, those pigs were like something ain't right. Just run, everyone run, right? They all just ran. Where are we, why are we running? I don't know, into the water we go. Pigs can't swim if you didn't know. But here he is later and he's sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane and all the people were afraid of this. They're all afraid, the fact that he's sitting there, this guy has been the town crazy for decades and now he's sitting there fully clothed and sane and they're afraid. They're not, they're not marveled. They're not like, wow, this is crazy, this is awesome. This guy is better, they're afraid. What happened to this guy? He's okay, he's not crazy anymore. What happened to him? I mean, there's a few people that if they stop being crazy, I would wonder what happened to them. But, you know. (audience laughing) I wouldn't be afraid, right? I don't find any other miracle that Jesus performed where the people reacted this way, that they were terrified. After they see this man in the right man mind, acting normal and instead of being full of joy and praising the Lord, they are terrified. It doesn't make any sense. They were begging Jesus to leave and go away, leave us alone. We were happy with our pet demons and we don't want what you're selling. It's the way they're acting, right? We were happy with this guy being the crazy. We were happy with him breaking chains and acting a fool and hallowing at the moon. Now that he's better, we're not okay with it. When drug addicts start getting saved and clean, it doesn't make their dealers happy. It's not the only time that people get mad when demons were cast out of people. Because if you go on over to Acts chapter 16, verse 16, it says one day, as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who was at the spirit that enabled her to tell the future and she earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes and she followed Paul and the rest of us shouting, these men's are servants of the Most High God and they have come to tell you how to be saved and this went on day after day until Paul was so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, I command you in the name of Jesus to come out of her and instantly it left her and her masters' hopes of wealth were now shattered and so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace and the whole city was in uproar because of these Jews, they shouted to the city officials, they're teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice, a mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods and they were severely beaten and then they were thrown into prison and the jailer was ordered to make sure they didn't escape. These guys were upset and angry because Paul cast the demon out of a girl in verse 37 it says Paul replied, "They have publicly beaten us without a trial "and put us in prison and we are Roman citizens." So now they want us to leave secretly, certainly not. Let them come themselves and release us. When the police reported this to the city officials they were alarmed and learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens so they came to the jail and apologized to them, then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. They were mad because their mil ticket left when this girl was set free. The demon that was in that girl was their mil ticket and so Paul and Silas were thrown into prison and then they begged them to leave the city. Paul did exactly what Jesus said though. He did the same works and cast the demon out of the girl. John 1412 says I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done and even greater works because I am going to be with the father. He also found the same fate actually a little worse. They just got Jesus to leave. They beat Paul and imprisoned him and then they begged him to leave. Another thing about this miracle is that Jesus told the man to share what had happened. In most of the one-on-one miracles that he performed throughout scripture, throughout his ministry, he didn't want them to tell what had happened. In fact, he told them, don't tell anyone what happened. I just healed you, you were blind, now you can see, don't tell anyone. What? What do you mean don't tell anyone? I couldn't talk and you spit on my tongue and now I can and you don't want me to tell anyone? What? My daughter was dead and you raised her to life and you don't want us to tell anyone? But he tells this guy, go and tell everybody. Go and tell everyone. Jesus, in verse 18 it says as Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, no, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been. And so the man started off and visited the 10 towns of the region and began to proclaim the great things that Jesus had done for him and everyone was amazed at what he told them, everyone. The man begged Jesus to allow him to go with him. But instead Jesus told him to go and tell what had happened to him. And so he goes and it begins to share. He begins to share with people what Jesus had done. He begins to go and tell people, Jesus free me. I was the town crazy. I was nuts. Those demons were making me do things that I didn't necessarily want to do. I was acting, I was hollering at the moon. I was cutting myself. I was living in the graveyard. And Jesus came and he set me free. And he gave me my mind back. And I'm not addicted anymore. I'm not stuck anymore. I don't have to worry about what people think anymore because Jesus set me free. He took away the pain. He took away the anger. He took away the hatred. He took away the hurt. He sent me free. I don't have to go, I don't have to turn to drugs anymore. I don't have to turn to alcohol anymore because Jesus sent me free. And he begins to tell everyone. See, the people that see the demon cast out may not be happy, but the one that was set free of the bondage will want to tell everyone. They'll want to tell everyone what happened. I once was bound, but now I'm free. I once was bound, but now I'm free. The scripture says he whom the sun sets free is free indeed. Christ has set us free so that we can live in that freedom, not so that we can turn back to the bounds of slavery. We don't have to go back. We're free. It doesn't matter what your addiction is. It doesn't matter what's holding you back. It doesn't matter what demon. It's oppressing you. Jesus can set you free. It doesn't matter what you're battling with. So many times we come to Jesus and we bring the big things and we won't bring the little thing that really messes us up more than anything. The scripture says this is small foxes. It's the small foxes, it's the small things that get us. It's not the big things. It's the little things that we hide away and we don't tell anyone. And we live with it and we carry it around. It's the little things that will cause us to miss heaven. Jesus said this man free. The man was begging him to take him with him because he felt free for the first time in decades. He said I'm free and I want to be with you because you helped me get there. Jesus said no, go and tell everyone what's happened. I can't stay here because these people don't want me here because they're afraid that because you got set free, they might get set free and they're like their pets in. But you go and tell everyone and he said okay and he didn't wait around. He didn't wait around to say well maybe I'll tell people tomorrow. The scripture says so the man started off to visit the ten towns he left. He immediately he said all right I'm going to town right now and tell everyone. Everyone that I meet on the street I'm going to tell them what happened to me. Do you want to be free today? Are you carrying things around that have caused you to be bound? Ask everyone what to stand your feet this morning. Jesus I just thank you for today. Lord I thank you for these people that are in this house today God. I thank you for what you're doing in their hearts and in their minds and in their lives. Lord I just pray that this morning that you begin to move again. What there's I have I can't shake the feeling that there are people in this room that are bound that are bound by diction that are bound by by stuff that are bound by anger and bitterness and hatred God. I think you want to sit on free. All right I pray that you give them the strength to take the first step. Maybe you're in here today and you are bound. Maybe it's addiction maybe it's anger maybe it's bitterness maybe it's hurt maybe it's something that's happened in your past and you can't seem to shake it you can't seem to get past it and you say this morning I need freedom I need Jesus to set me free from this. I need to live unbound by this I want to invite you to come I want to pray with you I want to believe with you it doesn't matter what it is it doesn't matter if it's addiction it doesn't matter if it's anger or bitterness it doesn't matter what it is if you've got something that's holding you if you've got something that's bound to you and you say this morning I want free from this I want to invite you to come I want to pray with you I want to believe with you that he'll set you free don't let fear and pride and what other people think holds you back if you need God to move in your life I encourage you to move do you want freedom this morning do you want freedom I encourage you to move hold I thank you right now I thank you for the ones that are here and Lord I pray that the ones that are still in their seats Lord I pray that you just begin to that you begin to move in their hearts even now God what I pray that you just begin to do what only you can do that you begin to do what only you can do if you feel let it come and pray for these that are in the altars feel free to do so these altars are open [BLANK_AUDIO]